As proxies (and database routers) go, the first one I ever used was the now deprecated MySQL Proxy. Since then, I've managed to use MariaDB MaxScale quite a bit (including its fork AirBnB MaxScale), played around with ProxySQL in recent time, and also started taking a look at MySQL Router. In this quick 20-minute overview, we'll discuss why these three exist, a feature comparison, and reasons when to use the right tool for the job.